Kevin Bronson on May 17th, 2024

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Here’s a whopper of a weekly playlist: Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 291) features new music from Billie Eilish, Meija, Iress, Liily, Milly, Jelani Aryeh, Beachwood Sparks, Winter, Slenderbodies, Tragic Magic, Model Child, Tessa Rae, JEMS, Ear Ringers, Zzzahara, Cold Cave, Guppy, Jesika von Rabbit, Dear Francis and a slew of others. Special nods to albums and EPs released this week, a cover song and the bedazzlement that is Louis Cole.

Past mixes here, but you knew that.

■ Billie Eilish, “Lunch” — Billie Eilish’s third full-length, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” has arrived, possessed of more sonic breadth than her first two, but the same lyrical sharpness, intimacy and penchant for cinema. Over “Lunch,” croon (and bop!) along, but softly. (Here’s the video.) Live Dec. 15, Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 at the Kia Forum.

■ Jelani Aryeh, “Hang On” — San Diego’s Jelani Aryeh says “Hang On” (co-written with Jonny Pierce of The Drums) is the sister song to January single “I’m in Love.” Along with “Shudder” and “Sweater Club,” they appear on Aryeh’s sophomore album, “The Sweater Club,” out June 14.

■ Meija, “Seven” (feat. Hand Habits) — Songwriter Jamie Sierota has announced the Oct. 25 arrival of his sophomore album as Meija, “”There’s Always Something.” His recent pair of singles were collaborations — “Magic” (feat. Jawny) and “Possum” (feat. Eels) — and so it goes with the pedal steel-inflected “Seven,” which features vocals from Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy. Watch the video.

■ Beachwood Sparks, “Falling Forever” — Cosmic Americana torchbearers Beachwood Sparks will release “Across the River of Stars,” their first album in 12 years, on July 19. Live July 27 at the Lodge Room.

■ JEMS, “Smoking Gun” — The L.A. folk trio JEMS return June 14 with their sophomore record, “Back Around,” the follow-up to their well-received 2019 debut.

■ Color Green, “Fool’s Parade” — L.A. psych-folk quartet Color Green have released the title track to their first album for New West, out July 12. “Fool’s Parade,” the follow-up to “Four Leaf Clover,” earns nods from those familiar with British folk greats.

■ Ear Ringers, “Pretty Pictures” — East L.A.’s Ear Ringers got started in 2017 and, after a couple of EPs, released their debut full-length, “Heart Therapy,” in 2022. Singer-guitarist Miguel Angel Estrada says of their aptly titled new single “Pretty Pictures:” “I intended this song to be upbeat and poppy, but I think the most interesting part is the second verse, which is a completely different vibe giving Spanish lyrics & ’80s synths.” Live at Day 2 of the Viva! Pomona festival on July 21 (two-day pass).

■ Niina Soleil, “See Red” — Friendly reminder that Niina Soleil’s debut full-length, “Heliophilia,” is out today, and not unlike the singles “Whiskey Valentine” and “Irish Goodbye,” “See Red” will make you wanna dress up real nice.

■ Tragic Magic, “Sunset City” (feat. Rxuseonly) — Indie quintet Tragic Magic (Stacie Havemeier, Jonathan Pancoast, Chrissy Polcino, Kate Ludewig and Jenna Peterson) debuted last year. The propulsive “Sunset City,” a collaboration with Rxuseonly (Ra’id Al-Amin), is their second single of ’24.

■ Zzzahara, “Wish You Would Notice (Know This)” — Highland Park’s Zahara Jaime unveils the kinda-sorta post-punk track “Wish You Would Notice (Know This)” in time for a week’s worth of dates on a European tour.

■ Iress, “The Remains” — Doomy dream-pop quartet Iress return with “The Remains,” the second single from the album  “Sleep Now, In Reverse,” out July 26. Live June 22 at the Lodge Room, opening for Blackwater Holylight, and (record-release show) Aug. 2 at the Echo.

■ Cold Cave, “Blackberries” — “Blackberries” is the latest monthly feat of derring-do from darkwavers Wesley Eisold and Amy Lee.

■ TR/ST, “Soon” — In January, L.A.-based Canadian Robert Alfons issued a self-titled EP, TR/ST’s first release for Dais Records. “Soon” is the first track to be unveiled for a new TR/ST album, details TBA.

■ GUPPY, “Don’t Choke” — Guppy’s new album “Something Is Happening …” (out today) is so … well, zappy. Like when Julia Lebow deadpans: “Every single moment of my life has lead up to this but seriously no pressure … That’s how moments work.” Don’t choke, see them live May 31 at El Cid.

■ Liily, “More” — The first single from noisemeisters Dylan Nash, Charlie Anastasis, Sam De La Torre and Maxx Morando in a year and a half, “More” introduces Liily’s self-titled EP, out June 14.

■ Jesika von Rabbit, “Dog at a Human Party” — Joshua Tree electro-pop provocateur Jesika von Rabbit, who’s been turning bunny ears into alien communication devices since her days fronting Gram Rabbit, imagines what it’s like to be a “Dog at Human Party” on her latest single. It’s puckish fun, as the video suggests. Just watch where you step.

■ Deb Fan, “Lady” — Hong Kong-reared, L.A.-based singer-songwriter-producer Deb Fan has dropped her latest dose of ethereal R&B. An identity proclamation, “Lady” introduces Fan’s forthcoming sophomore EP, “Kowloon Demos.”

■ Louis Cole, “Life” — Louis Cole’s new album “Nothing” is out Aug. 9 via Brainfeeder. Bassist Sam Wilkes, vocalist Genevieve Artadi and saxophonist David Binney sprint along with Cole’s drumming on “Life,” which, like “Things Will Fall Apart” and the rest of the album, is a collaboration with the Dutch Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley. “Life” will leave you breathless, as life sometimes does.

■ La Bonte, “Marching In A Field Of Wheat” — Garrett La Bonte is an indie-rocker’s indie-rocker. “Marching In A Field Of Wheat,” La Bonte’s Studs Terkel-inspired ode to the unemployed American, is the lead track on “Economy Play,” the second EP he’s released since his 2021 album, “Don’t Let This Define Me.”

■ Izzy Outerspace, “Lip Service Love” — Friendly reminder that “Lip Service,” the new EP from Izzy Outerspace, came out today. Live Monday at the Moroccan Lounge.

■ Young Jesus, “Am I the Only One” — Here’s the final single from Young Jesus’ new album, “The Fool,” out next week. (See also: “Moonlight” and “Brenda and Diane.”) Live June 6 at Scribble.

■ Milly, “Spilling Ink” — The guitar tsunami that is L.A. four-piece Milly will release their sophomore album, “Your Own Becoming,” on June 28. Like the first single “Drip From the Fountain,” “Spilling Ink” is writ large. Live Aug. 10 at the Troubadour.

■ Dear Francis, “Touchdown (4-track)” — Dear Francis is the solo project of Jennifer Clavin (Bleached, Mika Miko), who debuts with a song she self-recorded in her room on a cassette four-track.

■ Cameron Leahy, “Monterey” — “Dizzy Freedom,” the debut album from folk-rocker Cameron Leahy, comes out June 7, and considering this new single “Monterey” and previous songs “From the Infinite” and “Critic,” we’ll free up some time for the whole thing.

■ Sloan Golden, “Parking Lot” — “Parking Lot” is the debut single from Sloan Golden, aka New Jersey native Sloan Pecchia, and it was co-written with Jensen McRae and produced by Noah Weinman (Runnner).

■ Ward White, “Here Come the Dowsers” — Friendly reminder that you don’t need a divining rod to find Ward White’s 15th album, “Here Come the Dowsers,” out today in its crooning, vaguely Bowie-ish glory.

■ Winter, “Shaniatwainlovestory” — Next week brings Samara Winter’s new EP, “… And She’s Still Listening,” the follow-up to the 2022 album “What Kind of Blue Are You?” She gets glitchy on the new single “Shaniatwainlovestory” … until the shoegazer in Winter takes over for the outro.

■ Tessa Rae, “If You Still Like Me in the Morning” — Indie-pop siren Tessa Rae will release a new EP, “Sweetly, Softly,” this summer. Bedroom pop at its core but ponderously produced at its culmination, “If You Still Like Me in the Morning” is the new single.

■ Model Child, “Overdrive” — “Overdrive” is the new single from songwriter Danny Parker’s debut album as Model Child, “Get There!” (out June 21). On the new single, he says, “I’m speaking to people who feel left out, self-conscious, or alienated. I want anyone who listens to my music to feel comfortable being their messy, imperfect selves. We should all feel empowered to dance like freaks without a care, and I hope this song affords people the freedom to do just that.” Live June 29 at Permanent Records Roadhouse.

■ Thomas Powers, “The Big Feel” (feat. Chelsea Jade” — Thomas Powers (The Naked and Famous) today released his debut solo album, “A Tyrant Crying in Private.” For fans of experimental, minimalist, cinematic, neo-classical pop. See also: “Empty Voices” (feat. Julien Baker) and “Sleep and/or Rest.”

■ Slenderbodies, “Before” — The duo of Max Vehuni and Benji Cormack will release their fourth album as Slenderbodies, “The Sugar Machine,” on Sept. 6. The airy pop number “Before” is the second single. Live Oct. 26 at the Fonda Theatre and Nov. 3 at the Garden Amp.

■ Blondestandard, “Freakin Out” — Blondestandard (pop singer-songwriter Caroline Grace Vein) debuted in 2022 and returned this week with the catchy, anthemic “Freakin Out,” produced by Arieh Berl (Pink Skies).

■ The New Electric Sound, “Raincoat” — This month brought the release of “Life in Monochrome,” the third full-length from Utah-bred power-poppers the New Electric Sound. Don’t forget your “Raincoat.”

■ Senses, “No Fun” — Singer Madison Taylor and drummer Nick Sampson make pop-punk under the name Senses, and “No Fun,” their second single since last year’s EP “Take Me Out of Here,” is about “someone that is ‘no fun,’ but in the best way,” Taylor says. “Someone who kind of tames that crazy side of you.”

■ The Letter Openers, “Camerford, Where Ya Been?” —  Long-running rockers the Letter Openers have never been much on full-lengths, but their second, “Go With The Atmosphere,” will be out May 24. (Their first album, “All the Time Right Now,” came out in 2005.) Anyway, they do meat-and-potatoes rock ’n’ roll with all the requisite bravado. Live May 25 at the Redwood.

■ Blondshell, “Thank You for Sending Me an Angel” — As we wrap this week’s Greatest Hits, we bring you in for a soft landing with Sabrina Teitelbaum’s cover of “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel. ” The song appears on the new compilation “Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense,” along with contributions from artists such as Mily Cyrus, Paramore, the National, Lorde and more. Blondshell will perform the song at the sold-out “An Evening of Stop Making Sense” on June 4 at the Pantages Theater.